He claims that it was the slow economy that caused him to rip off at least 81 truckers with his fraudulent engine repair business, but his lavish lifestyle tells a different story. Whether it was greed or genuine need that motivated him, his scam put many small carriers and owner-operators out of business and will only get him 9 months in prison.
Carl Steven Spencer Jr. was arrested after an FBI investigation found that he was running a wire-fraud scheme where he advertised an engine repair service for diesel engines. Spencer operated under multiple different names including National Diesel Engine, Midwest Engine, and Superior Diesel Reman.
Truckers would send their broken engines to Spencer along with either a full payment or two-thirds payment upfront. In some cases, Spencer would then just disappear, keeping the engine and the money and refuse to answer calls or messages. Other times Spencer would clean the engines and repaint them without actually repairing them. Occasionally, Spencer would “repair” the engines with other used parts, but when truckers received them back, they were still non-functional.
Victims of his scheme wouldn’t just lose the cost of the repair and the engine, but in some cases lost their trucks and their livelihoods because of they were unable to afford to buy a new engine or because they lost so much money waiting to have their old one repaired. Some victims lost as much as $189,000 or more.
During the investigation, the FBI reportedly received “multiple phone calls each day from victims pleading for some sort of assistance with obtaining justice.”
Between 2011 and 2016, Spencer defrauded at least 81 people, but the number may be even higher than that. Most of his victims were small trucking companies and owner-operators.
During his trial, Spencer claimed that it was the tough economic times that drove him to defraud his customers. He said that he would use the money from new customers to fund the repairs needed for old customers. In response, prosecutors noted that Spencer actually used the money to fund renovations on his home and buy luxury items including 38 designer wristwatches.
Despite all this however, Spencer was found guilty of only one count of wire fraud as part of a plea deal. He has been sentenced to only 9 months in prison. He will also serve two years of probation and has been ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $189,000. Additionally, he will have to forfeit his collection of wristwatches.
This is why there still is allowance in the Constitution for indentured servitude. And the moral thing to do would be have this moron indentured to work until he has paid all victims back… twice or three times over. The so-called “Justice System” is only interested in locking folks like this up and billing the rest of us hundreds of thousands of dollars to warehouse people like this. His 9 months in prison will actually be served in a county jail, as terms of less than 1 year are done that way. The restitution so ordered only is what one of the victims lost. And the punishment should have been at least twice that for that one victim. Sometimes when things get all screwed up, maybe it is best to go back and look at the owners manual on how to do things.
Too true! And why would anybody commit a crime so they can buy ’38 designer watches’? Hardly a crime of necessity methinks.
I agree wholeheartedly with you,sadly you know what prosecutors say? “9months in prison is no picnic”.
Pay me 1,000,000.00 and I glafly go to a minimum security prison for 2 yrs,when I come out my million would ve made me at least $70,000.00 in interest alone.
We in the trucking industry need to have our own judge dred type of justice,this is a slap on the face to his victims…I wish there was a fund to help my brethren that fall in hard times,the economy is hard and the freight rates don t help.
Bet he must’ve retained himself one hell of a defense attorney to get off that easy. Way to add insult to injury too, since the victims’ money obviously funded the retainer fees as well.
Hopefully there will be some in house justice, this scumbag might slip and fall in the shower. Fall down a flight of stairs. Who knows? The universe has seen stranger things happen.
I have been the victim of the same type here in Ontario Canada, he put me out of business and I am going to loose my house as well, going to small claims court today hope the judge sees this creep for what he really is and sends him to the Lindsay bucket and gives me my 25K back.
So this POS gets 9 months and gets to keep everything except watches? So what…he will have to pay restitution to one person. At what rate? So the victim gets $20-$30 per week? Wow… that’ll go far in helping them out. So who gets to decide who the lucky victim is that gets this tremendous windfall? He gets to keep almost everything, and at least 81 victims lost everything. Where the hell is the fairness in that?! He should be forced to sell everything he has, and take out a high interest loan to pay them all back…all at once. That way they can replace what they lost, and he can pay the bank(s) back at his leisure.
Once again, not doing ones own repair work leads to catastrophic results. Diesel Mechanics, by their very nature ,are shysters. There is simply too much money on the table for them not to be.
If you can’t fix your own truck and trailer ,you are already out of business, you just don’t know it yet.
some repaires a person can do.. however a rebuild or tearing into an engine i wouldnt do… motto.. do as much as you can and have a qualified mechanic or shop do the rest…. there are hundreds of good people out there… and to send your engine elsewhere is inviting scum into your backyard…
No trucker will ever be compared to Einstein, including me. But I would never send my engine anywhere unless I’m with it. If I were this guy, I’d be very careful after getting out. There just might be a broke and angry driver waiting to say hi.
” I am 67 yo now, and I remember when G’pa parked his mules and bought a Federal tractor. I told him that I couldn’t wait to drive a truck. He said, ” sonny, you can’t drive them til you can fix them. ” It has worked all these years except, when I turned 60, the parts got too heavy for me to lift. “
My Dad did that with my sister when she came home with her first Harley. He took the book, tore the bike apart and she had the whole winter to put it back together to get it up and running for the next spring. I know that comparing your truck story to her motorbike is way different, but the same issue is > you need to know how to repair it before you ride / drive it in case there is a breakdown. For her, it also was a safety thing, if she broke down in the middle of nowhere, as a young female, yeah, you needed to know what you were doing.
Glad he did not do that to me with my first car, but he certainly taught us the basics (back when there was still carborators and other “fun stuff” under the hood.
As a former diesel / large truck mechanic, I have to disagree about the shysters comment…. if a guy is a shyster by nature it’s not because he’s a diesel mechanic… a crook is a crook because he’s a crook. I’m an owner operator now and there are a few mechanics that I trust. Most of them I know personally and I know their background. That’s my advice to anyone looking to operate a truck, big or small. Find a shop, big or small, that’s reputable, or ask a local trucking company that has nice equipment. STAY AWAY FROM INTERNET SEND ME YOUR MONEY AND ENGINE ADS. Your just asking to get ripped off
I have an associates degree in Automotive Diesel Technology, as well as several other certifications, & I am an Army Veteran. Sir, I beg of you, do not generalize that all of us are out to rip people off. I actually quit being a technician because I couldn’t rip people off any more. Believe me, it’s not the service techs. Corporate greed is alive and well in the service sector as much as it is everywhere else.
True I built my truck from a wreck I bought at copart never built a truck but plenty experience its not rocket science folks
Why would ANYONE send a c-12 of all engines out to be rebuilt.
My 10 and 8 yr old did one! I have pictures to prove it.
If you own a trucking company y poo u should learn to do your own repairs, otherwise how will you know a sheister when you see one?
By the way, c-12s are so easy I’ve got a older female driver working poo n one now…
Don’t you just autocomplete?
What a hell is poo? I don t do my work,but I make enough to pay for repairs,so keep your poo to yourself.
Just cracked me up, Jay. ROFL
I hate to say this but if you pay anyone in full before a repair is done. And done properly. You’re just asking to get ripped off.
So basically he was a small time “insert name of truck here” Dealer… 2 hr min at 135 to tell you they have no freaking clue whats wrong….x thousands of trucks a year.
I simply do not do business with people that require money up front. House repairs,car,truck,
I may pay a little more but if they have a cash flow problem I will not make it mine.
I have witnessed first hand ,over the years ,way too many friends ripped off.
I have paid as the work is being done on my house but any thing els
e SORRY!
Judge got paid off he got his money
Can’t believe he only got 9 months + probation for this. I can understand bad situations happen and that’s all part of business but to knowingly defraud so many people should have led to a much harsher sentence. As to the claim that it was a bad economy, BS. He was doing this last year when we were in a 3-4 year run on very good times financially in trucking. The worst part is that Steve is a smart guy and knows a lot. Unfortunately, he’s just a scumbag who would rather screw people over to try to make more than he should rather than running a good business with solid returns.
Eat your heart out Bernie Madoff.
If your going to own your own truck. TODAY 1) get a good laptop 2) Get the diagnostic software for your truck and engine. And add it to the cost of your truck. You changing your own $35.oo speed sensor Vs a $650.00 shop bill and plus a $600 tow is worth every penny.
His attorney got him off easy. What did Shakespeare say about lawyers? Did I miss the part about restitution? A 5 time convicted drunk driver hit my rig. $5,000 damage. Restitution = $300. Insurance covered nothing. Justice system?
Arthur hit the nail on the head
It’s the 21st century…if you drive a truck and it’s your livelihood…you need a laptop with software for your truck and engine.I purchased one from Jball Electronics. And it’s saved me money by knowing exactly what’s wrong when it went wrong. ..or find a independent shop who has diagnostic equipment…way cheaper than oem dealers.
Yikes !
He received 9 months…Indeed a slap on the wrist, but he accomplished what the feds have been trying to do, and that’s get truckers off the road.
How the heck do you launder engines. He must be moving them through scrapyards pretty fast to end the paper trail.
Just more people fixing to extort money from the already dwindling pool of money that’s the trucking industry.
There’s a Detroit diesel repair shop in Sacramento “area” . The owner finds parts on ebay and makes fake invoices for and turns them back to Detroit for warranty, parts and labor. BIG Scam…
This world is so sick. Greed, Greed… All his possession should be sold to pay the people he has wronged. I don’t care how many times they tell these crooks they have to pay up when they get out. they never pay up.
Sounds like only one person won the judgement. no one else who was taken will get anything. and yeah the 9 months not long enough.
it urks me to no end that they get out and still own huge mansion, nice cars, boats … when the people they ripped off keep on working hard to catch up.
Is anyone been a resent victim of Steve??? I gave him $12,000 wire for a rebuilt block on a 3126 back in March 2020. He delivered something of a nightmare after almost five months later. I’m in Ca & the engine & crane are in Montana. Again, this has been a nightmare & this man needs to pay!!!!
I just found this out & there are no kind words for what this man has done to hardworking people! Pls lmk if anyone has contact to FBI or case #